Ethiopian Orthodox Christians Celebrate Epiphany Colorfully

Followers of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church across the nation have celebrated Ethiopian Epiphany (Timket) on Wednesday to commemorate the baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptist in the River Jordan.

In the capital Addis Ababa, the celebration was held in a grand religious ceremony at Jan Meda in the presence of hundreds of thousands of  faithful including foreign tourists.

During the occasion, religious fathers conducted ritual ceremonies including the showering of blessed water on the faithful to commemorate the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist at River Jordan.

Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahdo Church General Manager His Grace Abune Yared, said at the celebration that Timket celebration is a symbol of unity, love and care.

Abune Yared, who is also an Archbishop of Arsi & East Gojjam called on the faithful to enhance their unity and love.

Timket has been considered by the world as one of the distinctive and unique phenomena across the globe as it is celebrated colorfully in unison among the Ethiopians.

Though Ethiopia had experienced natural and man made challenges over the past years including the war in the northern part of the country and COVID-19, the nation has now been able stand together to ensuring peace, development and harmony by surpassing the challenges, he added.

He further underscored that the undue pressures exerted against Ethiopia from various directions would not affect the unity and peace of the nation.

“No matter how we have been through our togetherness as Ethiopian will not be cracked,” Abune Yared said.

He called upon all Ethiopians to contribute their share to preserve the traditions and practices of Timket, which is registered by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Ethiopian Epiphany has been inscribed in 2019 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

Source: Ethiopia News Agency